Case 368 - A charity shop refused donation of baby bath due to health and safety

Issue

A local charity shop refused the enquirers donation of a plastic baby bath because ‘health and safety’ meant that the new purchaser could sue if their baby were injured after slipping in it.

Panel opinion

There are no health and safety rules which would restrict charity shops from accepting items like baby baths for resale. It's also hard to imagine circumstances in which their fear of litigation might manifest itself. They are of course at liberty to set their own policies on what goods they will or will not accept but they can't wash their hands like this and simply point to non-existent "health and safety" rules.